Step by Step Guide to Building a Productboard API Integration in Ruby

Hey there, fellow developer! Ready to dive into the world of Productboard API integration? Let's roll up our sleeves and get coding!

Introduction

Productboard's API is a powerful tool for managing your product features programmatically. In this guide, we'll walk through building a robust integration in Ruby. Trust me, it's going to be a smooth ride!

Prerequisites

Before we jump in, make sure you've got:

• Ruby 2.7+
• httparty gem (for HTTP requests)
• dotenv gem (for managing environment variables)
• Your Productboard API key (keep it secret, keep it safe!)

Setting up the project

Let's kick things off:

mkdir productboard_integration
cd productboard_integration
bundle init

Add these to your Gemfile:

gem 'httparty'
gem 'dotenv'

Then run:

bundle install

Authentication

Create a .env file in your project root:

PRODUCTBOARD_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

Now, let's create our base client:

require 'httparty'
require 'dotenv/load'

class ProductboardClient
  include HTTParty
  base_uri 'https://api.productboard.com'

  def initialize
    @options = {
      headers: {
        'Authorization' => "Bearer #{ENV['PRODUCTBOARD_API_KEY']}",
        'Content-Type' => 'application/json'
      }
    }
  end

  # We'll add more methods here soon!
end

Implementing core API functionalities

Let's add some methods to our ProductboardClient:

class ProductboardClient
  # ... previous code ...

  def fetch_features
    self.class.get('/features', @options)
  end

  def create_feature(data)
    self.class.post('/features', @options.merge(body: data.to_json))
  end

  def update_feature(id, data)
    self.class.patch("/features/#{id}", @options.merge(body: data.to_json))
  end

  def delete_feature(id)
    self.class.delete("/features/#{id}", @options)
  end
end

Error handling and rate limiting

Let's add some resilience to our client:

class ProductboardClient
  # ... previous code ...

  def request_with_retry(method, path, options = {})
    retries = 0
    begin
      response = self.class.send(method, path, @options.merge(options))
      handle_rate_limit(response)
      response
    rescue => e
      retries += 1
      retry if retries < 3
      raise e
    end
  end

  private

  def handle_rate_limit(response)
    if response.code == 429
      sleep(response.headers['Retry-After'].to_i)
      raise 'Rate limited'
    end
  end
end

Now update our methods to use request_with_retry.

Data transformation

Here's a quick example of mapping Productboard data to your app's model:

class Feature
  attr_accessor :id, :name, :description

  def self.from_productboard(pb_feature)
    new.tap do |f|
      f.id = pb_feature['id']
      f.name = pb_feature['name']
      f.description = pb_feature['description']
    end
  end
end

Testing the integration

Let's write a quick test:

require 'minitest/autorun'
require 'vcr'

VCR.configure do |config|
  config.cassette_library_dir = "fixtures/vcr_cassettes"
  config.hook_into :webmock
end

class ProductboardClientTest < Minitest::Test
  def setup
    @client = ProductboardClient.new
  end

  def test_fetch_features
    VCR.use_cassette("fetch_features") do
      response = @client.fetch_features
      assert_equal 200, response.code
      assert response.body.include?('features')
    end
  end
end

Productionizing the integration

For production, consider adding logging:

require 'logger'

class ProductboardClient
  def initialize
    # ... previous code ...
    @logger = Logger.new(STDOUT)
  end

  def request_with_retry(method, path, options = {})
    @logger.info("Making #{method.upcase} request to #{path}")
    # ... previous code ...
  end
end

Conclusion

And there you have it! You've just built a solid Productboard API integration in Ruby. Remember, this is just the beginning - there's so much more you can do with the Productboard API. Keep exploring, keep coding, and most importantly, have fun building awesome products!

For more details, check out the Productboard API documentation. Happy coding!